Three in four pensioners are living in a cold home

The Feb 2024 Age UK report states:

Our latest estimates show that even with prices expected to come down slightly this year there will still be 1.9 million older households in the UK living in fuel poverty across 2024, representing around one in six (16%) of all older households in the UK.

One sixth isn't three quarters!

Age UK conducted two waves of research into the impact of the cost of living crisis on older households and how they relate to the ongoing issues older people face in the energy market, with the first wave taking place in January 2023 and the second in January 2024. Both waves consisted of a representative sample of 2,700 people aged 60+ living in Great Britain with the majority of respondents completing online and a smaller group being offered a telephone interview.

In other words, relatively small samples the first of which was taken at the height of the energy crisis when the energy price cap was £4,279. It's now £1,738.

Whitewavemark2

So are most of GN members living in cold homes?

Do a straw poll of friends - how many do you know live in cold homes.

I know of no one.

Although not shivering, my thermostat is as low as I can bear it. My flat is certainly not warm. I sit with a rug over my legs and£ hope that the ridiculous obligatory night storage heaters we have, haven’t cooled down too much by night!

Silverbrooks

There are around 13 million pensioners in the UK in around 9.4 million pensioner households.

In 2023/24, around a million pensioners paid tax at 40% or 45%. Some 2.7 million pensioners are expected to be paying at higher rates very soon due to fiscal drag so they must be close to the cusp now. That's over a quarter of pensioner households.

Logical deduction then that the other three-quarters of pensioner households, anyone on an income of less that £50,271 which in the 40% threshold is struggling. It's nonsense.

BTW that Age UK report is dated Feb 2024 not 2025.

Age UK’s new report, Cold at Home: How winter cost of living pressures continue to impact older people

www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/safe-at-home/cold-at-home-energy-and-col-report.pdf

Pensions increased by 6.7% in April 2024 while the energy price cap came down from £1,928 to £1,690 a reduction of £238. It has increased since to £1738 less than a £1 a week but it was possible to avoid it by fixing.

I am not suggesting that some people aren't struggling but it isn't 3 in 4 pensioners which would be 9.7 million of the total of around 13 million pensioners.

Also if that report was Feb 2024, it would be based on winter 2023/24, when WFA was paid to all.

Also I do remember 800,000 pensioners being targeted by this govt to claim PC.

The Express, like every other newspaper, is primarily in the business of making money. We should bear that in mind when our eye is caught by an inflammatory headline. Did the reporter ask every pensioner? Of course not - I wasn't asked, for one. Or did (s)he ask 4 pensioners and 3 said their homes were cold? Were there reliable statistics to support the claim? (Mark Twain: "There are lies, damned lies and statistics.")

Last year, we were shivering away despite having the heating on. Now, with a brand new boiler and new double glazing all round, we are warmer than ever before and our bills have gone down! Of course, not everybody can afford to do what we have done but it certainly has made a difference. I cannot stand being cold. Old systems do cost money. It’s worth investigating what grants are available if you are on a low budget.

So am I, VV. Balderdash, it is not.

There are around 13 million pensioners in the UK in around 9.4 million pensioner households.

In 2023/24, around a million pensioners paid tax at 40% or 45%. Some 2.7 million pensioners are expected to be paying at higher rates very soon due to fiscal drag so they must be close to the cusp now. That's over a quarter of pensioner households.

Logical deduction then that the other three-quarters of pensioner households, anyone on an income of less that £50,271 which in the 40% threshold is struggling. It's nonsense.

BTW that Age UK report is dated Feb 2024 not 2025.

Age UK’s new report, Cold at Home: How winter cost of living pressures continue to impact older people

www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/safe-at-home/cold-at-home-energy-and-col-report.pdf

Pensions increased by 6.7% in April 2024 while the energy price cap came down from £1,928 to £1,690 a reduction of £238. It has increased since to £1738 less than a £1 a week but it was possible to avoid it by fixing.

I am not suggesting that some people aren't struggling but it isn't 3 in 4 pensioners which would be 9.7 million of the total of around 13 million pensioners.

(The 800.000 figure is in the Age UK report)

I still don't get it. Are people choosing to be cold? I know a couple of people who would rather be cold than pay their bills and I just don't understand it. They are not what I would call poor. Some live in large houses.

Maybe the heating systems are out of date, in which case why don't they get an upgrade- grants are available in some areas, or dare I say it, why don't they get better insulation for which grants are also available, or even downsize so they can have more efficient homes?
800 000 people not claiming pension credit? That seems very high.

I know someone who like me, does not qualify for pension credit and moans about losing the WFA so has gone to Australia for a holiday to keep warm. Honestly, you can't make it up!

The report doesn't include the "one room" factor, it does say that 800.000 people are still not claiming PC who are entitled to.

Thanks Wyllow3, I’ve been trying to understand how that percentage could be right. There are apparently 2.9 million pensioners (out of the total of around 10 million) who rely on the state pension alone, of whom 1.3 million receive the winter fuel allowance still. That leaves 1.6 million people reliant on the state pension only, some of them on the new pension and some on the old one.
Of course some unfortunate people either haven’t claimed help, or are just above the eligibility criteria, but others must be prioritising other things over heating, or worrying that they can’t afford it, so not spending the money they do have on heating.
I also wasn’t clear if the definition for having a cold home included those people who are taking the advice to keep one room warm rather than heating the whole house?

The other issue here is possibly those older, like us, might live in much older properties.

Our mid terrace was built in 1904 and even with double glazing, is cold in spots.

We had to have a new boiler and roof within a few years of each other and it’s made a huge difference.

Wyllow3

I hate this kind of dishonesty in MSM.

All the Express had to say was, "based on a survey of pensioners with an income of under £20.000, 3 out of 4 report that....etc.

That’s so different to 3 out of 4 pensioners.

I hate this kind of dishonesty in MSM.

All the Express had to say was, "based on a survey of pensioners with an income of under £20.000, 3 out of 4 report that....etc.

Thank you Wyllow

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

Bit harsh WWM I personally didn't suffer, or as far as I know any of my friends.. but I was horrified at the number of posters on here that were living in cold conditions..
and even if it is only 1 in 4 the figures are still too high..

I think I have found the report that the Express used - and the misinformation in it:

www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-press/articles/2024/energy-crisis-is-still-causing-misery-for-the-poorest-pensioners-says-age-uk/

The "three out of four" figures are based on a specific group not all pensioners

The group is restricted to:

In a new report out today, Age UK warns that

older people living in a household with an income less than £20,000 per year and not in receipt of means tested benefits, have faced particularly steep challenges with managing through recent times

New research for the Charity revealed that for these older people, the cost of living crisis is far from over

so this is not to say that we should not address the crisis,

but it is showing the Express to be very disingenuous indeed and clearly has given - if you read the Parsely copy of the Express report -

that it is based on a survey of all pensioners not those with incomes under £20.000

I'm a living in a cold house and suffer from long term chronic illness , I'm not alone, I can count at least ten of my relatives and friends who are in the same situation, and its been a particularly cold winter here.

I’m sorry to hear that ViceVersa
Do you have your heating on for at least part of the day?

It’s been so cold over the whole country, even here in the south, with a biting easterly wind today.

JenniferEccles

The Express is Right wing, but certainly not extreme.

These days though any Right wing views seem to be automatically described as Hard-Right.

It’s not hard-right. Most newspapers are either right or left leaning. The Independent used to be fairly middle of the road.

I do doubt the figures, as I cannot find the Age UK report on its website, perhaps someone could direct me, I want to be able to make my own mind up on the basis of Age UK figures*

I have googled every which way.

All I could find was last years report

www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/safe-at-home/cold-at-home-energy-and-col-report.pdf

Anniebach

3 out of 4 pensioners were receiving winter fuel payment ?

Well all pensioners received WFA.

I would question the validity of these stats, and also even with the WFA across the years many pensioners still had cod homes and the expressions “eating or heating” did not start within this govt’s reign.

I would add that think fuel poverty is awful, whether you’re 66, over or under!

Were state pensioners only allowed to apply ?

Whitewavemark2

3 out of 4?

Absolute balderdash.

How do you know. I lost my winter fuel allowance, I have new state pension, plus a occupational pension. I did not shiver, I put my heating on, but alot of hard working people who have state pension only struggled.

The Express is Right wing, but certainly not extreme.

These days though any Right wing views seem to be automatically described as Hard-Right.